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Electrician apprenticeships in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has 24 registered electrician apprenticeship programs: 12 union and 12 open shop.1 Apprentices are hired and paid while they learn. The hours count toward the journeyman license (8,000 hours).2
Find a program near you
Enter your ZIP to sort by distance. Lineman, utility and studio programs are hidden because they lead to a different license.
24 programs
Adams Columbia Electric Cooperative
Friendship · Adams County
Appleton/Oshkosh Area Electrical JAC
Madison · Dane County
Arcadia Municipal Electric Utility
Arcadia · Trempealeau County
Barron Electric Cooperative
Barron · Barron County
Bayfield Electric Cooperative Inc
Iron River · Bayfield County
Central Wisconsin Electric Coop
Rosholt · Portage County
Chippewa Valley Electric Cooperative
Cornell · Chippewa County
City of Bloomer- Bloomer Electric
Bloomer · Chippewa County
City of Elkhorn - Electric Dept.
Elkhorn · Walworth County
City Of Kiel Electric Utility
Kiel · Manitowoc County
Clark Electric Cooperative
Greenwood · Clark County
Eau Claire Area Electrical JAC
Madison · Dane County
Jackson Electric Cooperative
Black River Falls · Jackson County
Jump River Electric Cooperative Inc
Ladysmith · Rusk County
Kenosha Area Electrical JAC
Madison · Dane County
La Crosse Area Electrical JAC
Madison · Dane County
Madison Area Electrical JAC
Madison · Dane County
Madison Area Electrical VDV JAC
Madison · Dane County
Madison Gas & Electric Co.
Madison · Dane County
Marathon Electric LLC
Wausau · Marathon County
Miller Electric Mfg Co
Appleton · Outagamie County
Milwaukee Area Electrical (KM) JAC
Greenfield · Milwaukee County
Milwaukee Area Electrical JAC
Greenfield · Milwaukee County
Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp.
Brookfield · Waukesha County
Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation
Mukwonago · Waukesha County
Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation
West Bend · Washington County
Northeast WI Area Electrical JAC
Madison · Dane County
Northwestern Electrical Advisory
Rice Lake · Barron County
Northwestern WI Electric Company
Grantsburg · Burnett County
Oakdale Electric Cooperative
Tomah · Monroe County
Oconto Electric Cooperative
Oconto Falls · Oconto County
Outfitted Electric LLC
Appleton · Calumet County
Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative
Centuria · Polk County
Price Electric Cooperative Inc.
Phillips · Price County
Racine Area Electrical JAC
Madison · Dane County
Richland Electric Cooperative
Richland Center · Richland County
Shullsburg Electric Utility
Shullsburg · Lafayette County
South Central WI Area Electrical JAC
Madison · Dane County
Southwest WI Electrical Advisory Cmt
Fennimore · Grant County
St. Croix Electric Cooperative
Hammond · St. Croix County
UPG Electrical LLC
Monroe · Green County
Vanguard Electric Commission
Black Earth · Dane County
We Energies - Electrician
Oak Creek · Milwaukee County
Whitehall Electric Utility
Whitehall · Trempealeau County
WI River Valley Area Electrical JAC
Madison · Dane County
No programs match. Clear the county or type filter, or try a nearby ZIP.
Union or open shop?
Union
Run by a JATC run jointly by the IBEW local and the NECA contractors' chapter. You apply to the committee, take an aptitude test and an interview, and wait on a ranked list. The committee sends you to its contractors.
Pay is a set share of the union journey-level rate and steps up on a schedule. Classes are nights or week-long blocks, usually paid for by the program.
Open shop
Run by ABC, IEC or a single electrical contractor. You usually get hired by a member contractor first, and the contractor enrolls you.
Your employer sets the pay and the raises. Classes are nights or weekends, and some programs charge tuition.
What do programs ask for?
Age
Usually 18. Some programs take applications at 17.
High school diploma or GED
Most programs ask for one. Bring a transcript.
Algebra
Electrical and sheet metal programs usually want one year of high school algebra with a passing grade.
Aptitude test or interview
Union programs give an aptitude test (math and reading) and an interview, then rank applicants. Open-shop programs usually start with a job offer.
Driver's license and drug screen
Many programs ask for both, since apprentices drive between job sites.
Applying this month
Get your papers together1 week
High school transcript or GED, a photo ID, and your birth certificate or proof of age. Programs that ask for algebra want the transcript that shows it.
- Time
- 1 week
Practice for the aptitude test2 to 4 weeks
Union programs test algebra and reading. A few evenings with a practice test helps your ranking.
- Time
- 2 to 4 weeks
Pick three programs and check their dates1 evening
Union programs take applications in set windows, some once a year. Open-shop programs and employer programs often take them year-round.
- Time
- 1 evening
Apply, then keep working
Apply to all three. While you wait, a helper or trainee job with a licensed contractor gives you hours and a reference.
Can't get in yet?
Pre-apprenticeship
Short programs, often free, that teach the basics and help with the application. Ask the programs above which ones they take graduates from.
Start on a crew
Licensed contractors hire helpers with no experience. Keep a log of your hours and employers; many programs and license boards count them. If you'd rather learn the basics first, 12 schools in Wisconsin have electrician programs.
The license steps in WisconsinHow do you get into an electrician apprenticeship in Wisconsin?
Pick programs near you, check each one's website for its application dates, and apply to more than one. Union programs test and interview, then rank applicants; open-shop programs usually start once a member contractor hires you.
How long is an electrician apprenticeship in Wisconsin?
About 4 years. The journeyman license requires 8,000 hours of supervised work.
How much do electrician apprentices make in Wisconsin?
Programs set their own scales, usually a share of journey-level pay that rises every year. For a floor, the lowest-paid tenth of all electricians in Wisconsin earned $21.55 an hour or less in May 2025.
Electrician pay in WisconsinOther routes in Wisconsin
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
- Wisconsin electrician license requirements (docs.legis.wisconsin.gov, 2026-10-27)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Wisconsin, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)